Journal

Happy New Year everyone! What a blur the holidays were, eh?! We spent lots of time with family and friends relaxing, and may have overindulged once (or twice) on some delicious wine and savoury treats… but that’s what the holidays are for, right?! I’m currently working on my annual end of year blog post, which should be live next week (stay tuned), but I wanted to kick the new year off with a very happy, bright and fresh wedding from Summer 2017! I did a MAJOR happy dance on Christmas Eve when it was published over on Wedding Chicks (check it out here!), and just loved getting to relive this day through the images below.

Sabrina & Dylan’s wedding took place in the middle of August, at the gorgeous Affinity Guesthouse property. And guys. This wedding was so. much. fun! I can’t remember ever seeing a Bride so relaxed and ready to party on her wedding day! Both Sabrina & Dylan had a smile from ear to ear all day long, and the entire wedding was filled with so many heartwarming moments. Planning began about a year and half in advance (it is never too early to start planning everyone!) , and their main goal was to throw the biggest party of the summer. Mission accomplished. Through the cheerful palette, lawn games, insane boho lounge, family style feast (thanks Toque Catering!) and The County Line band, guests felt comfortable and “at home” all day long. The Bride, who has a very bohemian style, wanted to make sure that her personal style was infused throughout the elegant setting. Moroccan lanterns and persian rugs lined the ceremony aisle, and the couple shared their vows on a Moroccan wedding blanket. We fully raped the tent and added twinkle lights above. Bright and happy florals, designed by FLEURtacious, lined the 4 long-long tables, and fresh lavender was placed on each place setting.

One of the most fun moments of the night happened right before the band took over: Sabrina surprised Dylan by switching her wedding skirt for a full tiered skirt. It was PERFECT for the dance floor, so definitely make sure to check out those photos below as well! This was just such a fun day filled with so much joy, and I am so grateful to have had a chance to work with this lovely couple!

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible! All photos courtesy of Blush Wedding Photography.

Buckle in for a true west coast beauty folks: Monica & Cliff, a Vancouver based power couple, got married on a beautiful summers day, on a the gorgeous Thetis Island, surrounded by their closest family and friends. The day was filled with so much joy and the couple seriously couldn't stop smiling all day! These guys….I just love them to death…. but I digress. haha! Overbury Resort, located on the small Thetis Island, was the host of their entire wedding festivities, including a welcome BBQ held on the Friday. Monica spent many summers as a kid at Overbury Resort with her family, and so when they became engaged, it was the only place in the world that she wanted to get married. It took Cliff a bit of convincing, as he is a city boy through and through, but after seeing the property and what a magical spot it was, he was sold (with the promise that it wouldn't be a rustic wedding and that there would be charger plates!). In the end, the day was a relaxed yet elegant celebration, and was the perfect blend of the couple.

For the design, it was pretty easy to take inspiration from the grogeous west coast and natural elements at the venue (that view!). We decided to infuse a few soft pops of colour through the florals and fruit to add some depth to the design. Peach, Blush & Apricot, along with whites and greens brought life to the space and made this summery soiree feel fresh. Monica is a nutritionalist, and so it was really important to her that everything at the wedding was fresh and as local as possible. Many of the florals were grown locally on Vancouver Island, and we created a farmers market inspired seating chart with locally grown BC peaches for every guest! Probably my favourite seating chart to date.

One of the most emotional parts of the day was the ceremony. It was performed by Monica's brother, and he managed to make sure that there wasn't a dry eye there! Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed canapés, lawn games, and live music by the extremely talented Colin Bullock. After dinner, Colin was joined by a friend of the couples, and the duo performed the most beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Make you feel my love". It was seriously magical! Guests danced into the night, soaked up the warm evening around the bonfire, and even toasted s'mores at the s'more station. It was the perfect Island wedding!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Monica & Cliff, for having me be a part of this incredibly special day! The photos from The Nickersons capture the essence of the weekend perfectly, and I hope you all enjoy!

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible! All photos courtesy of The Nickersons.

I have a slew of 2017 weddings in the blog queue, and I am just SO happy to have finally had the time to get to blog them! It has been well over a year (dear lord! lol!) and so it is definitely about time. First up, is the September 2017 wedding of Courtney & Richard, and let’s just say it was fit for a castle. I had such a blast working with these guys, and set against the majestic backdrop of Hatley Castle, how could you go wrong?! Everything we did was done to elevate the overall guest experience. Luxurious details and finishings, over the top floral arrangements, luxurious linens, and a gourmet 4 course dinner. The couple opted for a classic palette of White, Grey, Blush & Green, which suited the venue perfectly. Abundant florals were used to enhance the romance of the Castle, and greenery was used as a focal point in the reception, to bring the outside in via drama!

The couple, both of whom are pilots, also wanted to have a bit of wanderlust incorporated throughout the wedding. Custom paper airplane escort cards were hand calligraphered, and the cake featured intricate detail playing homage to their careers (so fun!). With Hatley Castle being the venue, we knew everything we did had to be elegant, luxurious and chic. The ceremony took place in the Croquet Lawn, with a stunning view of the Castle in the backdrop. Because they had a higher guest count though, their reception had to take place outside of the Castle, in a Banquet room on site. We completely transformed the room by having it fully draped in white shear panels. This was quite the undertaking, and over 260 ft. of drape was installed. Insane! And a big shoutout to Sandy and the team at Decorate Victoria for making it happen!

This was truly such an elegant affair, and the photos, by Luke Liable feel like they are something out of Vogue. So, without further adieu, I give you: Courtney & Richard.

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible! All photos courtesy of Luke Liable Photography.

I often find myself stumped for ways to start these posts, as I worry that I come off repetitive. I seem to always be saying how special the wedding was, how gorgeously it all came together etc. etc. But the truth is, EVERY wedding I am a part of is special! One of the things I love most about doing what I do, and the boutique nature of FKE, is that I get to know my couples so intimately. So by the time of the wedding, I usually feel like one of the family (you know…like that second cousin you only see at really important events, but knows how to boss everyone around when the time is right haha!). It makes me fall head over heels in love with my job every.single.time., and is the reason why every wedding is so incredible to me! But this one guys…this one you can feel it in the photos (thanks to the genius of Taylor Roades). The day was filled with so much laughter and joy, and a whole lotta love.

When I first met Alexei & Bob, I instantly fell in love and knew I had to work with them (thanks guys for hiring me!). Their love for each other was obvious from the first second, but they also were hilarious, talked about a mile a minute, and knew exactly what they wanted. Alexei is originally from France, and Bob is from the Praries. They met in Quebec while both at school, and the rest is history as they say. The coming together of their 2 families was at the core of this very authentic, relaxed and elegant al fresco soiree.

The design was inspired by the gorgeous gardens of The English Inn and its classic tudor building, and we made sure to keep a masculine undertone and “harmonious chaos” throughout. We designed all the spaces to flow naturally from one into another, and the unique palette of purples, greys & oranges mixed together with organic elements, helped to keep the spaces feeling perfectly unkept.

But what this wedding was really all about (other than the couple…doh!) was the food. Oh the food. It was non stop flowing all throughout the night, and Toque Catering absolutely hit this one out of the park. The family style feast, set at those 2 gorgeous long tables, combined both the Parisian and Prairie influences. Picture a meal that is never ending, with platters of charcuterie, gourmet cheeses, farm fresh veggies & flavourful mains. Guests drank copious amounts of wine, shared lots of stories and partied the night away. It was perfection. But if you don’t believe me, scroll through the photos to see for yourself. xo

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible! All photos courtesy of Taylor Roades Photography.

Let's talk about the importance of having a really, truly, fun wedding, shall we? That was the goal from the start for Betsy & Ryan, and we had a blast doing so! Now don't get me wrong...we also set out to have a gorgeous wedding filled with metallics, geometric splashes, and a whole lotta marble; all of which we also totally succeeded at, if I do say so myself. Set at the gorgeousAffinity Guesthouse property (one of my favs!), the couple, their family and close friends, spent the day playing games, eating delicious food (thanks Toque!), dancing the night away, and even singing a song (or 2). It was perfect.

We were also completely tickled to see that Wedding Bells loved this wedding as much as we did, and featured it back in May. You can check it all out here!. And so, without further adieu, here is Betsy & Ryan. aka: #finallylynch.

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible! All photos courtesy of Amee Nijjar Photography.